Datuk Alias bin Ali holds a Bachelor of Economics (Honours) degree from University of Malaya and a Master in Business Management from the Asian Institute of Management, Manila, Philippines. He also attended a Diploma course in Islamic Studies in 1982 at the University Kebangsaan Malaysia and a London Executive Programme in the London Business School, United Kingdom in 1984. In 1988, he attended a Diploma course in Homeopathic Medicine at the Homeopathic Medical Association of Malaysia.

Working experience and occupation

Datuk Alias bin Ali has had a long and remarkable career with the Government which began soon after his graduation from the University of Malaya as an Administration Trainee Officer in the Statistic Department. He subsequently joined the Prime Minister's Department as Administration Development Officer in 1970. Whilst still with the department, he completed his Master in Business Management course and assumed the position of Head of Department (Consultancy) at the National Institute of Public Administration (INTAN) in 1975. During the next 25 years with the Government, he rose through the ranks and has held various senior positions in several Ministries. Amongst them being, Deputy Director (Operations) in Public Services Department, Secretary (Administration and Services) in the Ministry of Works and Director of Industrial Development Division in the Ministry of Trade and Industry. He moved back to the Prime Minister's Department in 1990 as Cabinet Under-Secretary. In the year 2000, he was appointed Secretary General in the Ministry of Health, a position he held until his retirement in March 2004.